Door assembly



Oct. 25., 1955 L. FULLERTON 2,721,635

DOOR ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 16, 1953 INVENTOR.

LA wsov fizuewrwv DOOR ASSEMBLY Lawson Fullerton, South Norwalk, Conn.,assignor to The Fullerton Manufacturing. Corporation, South Norwalk,Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application February 16, 1953,Serial No. 337,015

1 Claim. (Cl..189- 46).

This invention relates to adoor assembly developed particularly for usein connection with an overhead lighting fixture of the type having ahorizontal door frame closed by a horizontal; lens door. However, theinvention may be used in connection with other devices and constructionsrequiring a door or window which must be mounted to swing open and shut.

The main object is to provide an assembly using concealed means for bothhinging the door and looking or latching it closed. Another object is toattain the just stated object by the use of a construction which may beinexpensively manufactured and which will be easily operated, reliablein its operation, and have a long trouble-free service life.-

In a lighting fixture of the overhead type having a horizontal doorframe closed'by a horizontal lens door, it has heretofore been customaryto use exposed hinges or locks or latches or both, and the necessarylensdoor frame has been exposed beyond the-inner periphery of the doorframe so as to show a double frame construction. Therefore, a. neat andcompact appearance has been lacking and the permissible size of the lenshas been reduced undesirably as compared to the size of the door frame.The present invention permits concealment of both the hinges and thenecessary looks or latches, and the external appearance shows only asingle frame. A larger lens may be used with a door frame of the sameoverall dimensions as would otherwise compel the use of a smaller lensGenerally speakingthe invention comprises a door assembly including adoor frame for whichadoor is provided, the door being biased to moveaway from the door frame. In a horizontal overhead door constructionthis bias is provided by the weight of the door. One edge portion of thedoor is connected to the door frame by means permitting both: pivotaland edgewise movements of' the door relative to thedoor frame. Thisresults. in the doors opposite edge portion swinging with the pivotalaction. An abutment is provided at a location engaging the doorsswinging edge portion when the door is closed, thus preventing outwardswinging by providing what is in effect a lock or latch.

The above abutment may take the form of a ledge extending the length ofthe door-and over which the corresponding part of' a lens doors frame,for example, rests so as to be concealed. This abutment orledge isfurther positioned to permit clearing therefrom by the doors swingingedge portion by shifting the door edgewise therefrom, thus elfectingunlocking or unlatching permiting outward swinging of the door. Themeans for connecting the door to the door frame may be positioned abovethe door and by providing a second ledge opposite to the first for thedoor frame of the described lighting fixture, positioned so that thepivoted edge portion of the lens frame rests on it, this lens frameportion is concealed. The door frames other two sides may be left freefrom ledges, and by providing door United States Patent Patented Oct.25, 1955 frame ledges of the same widths as the lighting fixtures lensframe an effect of a single continuous lens frame results.

In the above construction the lens door is left resting on two opposedledges against which it is forced by the opening bias on the door. Thedoor may be prevented from shifting edgewise respecting the ledges byproviding the ledge opposite to the' one where the door is connected,with an abutment or the like preventing the door from. shiftingvedgewise too far in that direction. To prevent inadvertent reverseshifting the means connecting the door to the door frame may be made tohave a latching effect against such shifting, with release effected byslight inward movement of the door so as to permit the edgewise movementinitially required to open the door.

A specific example of an overhead lighting fixture embodying theinvention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective showing the fixture as it appears when lookingupwardly at it;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the lower part of the fixtureexposing the features embodying the pres.- ent invention;

Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2 excepting. that it. shows the door openwhereas the preceding figure showed the door closed;

Fig. 4 is the same as Fig. 2 excepting that it shows the door as itappears when partially opened or closed; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a detail of the assembly.

This illustrated fixture includes a housing adapted to be suspendedoverhead,,and to contain a lighting source such as incandescent lampbulbs or fluorescent lamp tubes. This housing is defined by vertical endwalls- 1 and downwardly and outwardly slanting sidewalls 2. The endswalls 1 continue downwardly to exposed bottom edges 3 which areinconspicuous because all of the walls are made of sheet metal, thismaking the edges 3 very narrow or thin. The bottom portions of the walls2 are formed intochannels 4 extending the length of the housing andthrough their bottom flanges forming two oppositely spaced horizontalledges 5. Thus the bottom of the housing defines a. door frame formed by'the' edges 3' and ledges 5.

The lens door is formed by a lens frame 6 made of channel members withinwhich a lens 7 is retained and tightly positioned by springs 8. One endof the lens frame may be left open so that if the lens is broken areplacement lens may he slid longitudinally into the lens frame. Asshown in Fig. 2 the lens door rests on top of the ledges 5gravitationally. As shown by Fig. 1 the result is that of a single framesurrounding the lens in so far as can be seen. In the illustratedfixtures the lens frame is slightly narrower than the bottom of theledges 5. If desired, the lens frame may be made wider so as to match inappearance the ledges 5.

The means connecting the door to the door frame comprise brackets 9connected to the lens frame 6 by fasteningslltl and 11. These bracketsare shaped to form guideways 12 spaced from the inner side of the lens.frame and extending therealong transversely to the doors swinging edgeportion. Pins 13 are connected to the door frame and are positioned totransversely engage these guideways 12. In the illustrated example thepins 13 extend inwardly from the end walls 1. The brackets and pins areshown at the right-hand edge of the lens door and by shifting the doorto the right its left-hand edge portion is freed from the left-handledge so that the door may swing open. This shifting may be effected byexerting an appropriate shifting motion with the hands against thebottom of the lens 7. The guideways 12 extend far enough in front of thepins 13 to permit the shifting required to unlock or unlatch the door soit may swing open. The guideways 12 extend far enough behind the pins sothat as the door swings open, as shown by Fig. 4, it may be shiftedtowards the left so that its overhanging end is freed from the inside ofthe channel 4, thus permitting the door to swing fully open to theposition shown by Fig. 3.

When the door is shut it is held with the sides of its lens frame 6registered behind the ledges in a positive manner. This is effected bythe use of downwardly wedge shaped door edge abutments 14 connected tothe lefthand one of the channels 4 and which prevents excessive movementof the door in that direction, working in cooperation with shoulders 15formed in the guideways 12 between their ends by appropriate shaping ofthe brackets 9. These shoulders 15 drop around the pins 13 as the dooris moved edgewise to its final closed position, the weight on the doorthen preventing it from shifting in the direction of the pins 13 awayfrom the abutments 14. The brackets 12 are preferably shaped so that theportions of the guideways 12 behind the shoulders 15 are high enough tojust slightly clear the pins 13, thus permitting the lens frame to reston both of the ledges 5 so that no space between them can show. In thecase of other applications it may be more desirable to let the guideways12 rest on the pins 13 and thus support the door. The guideways declinesmoothly behind the shoulders 15 so that the door may be moved easilyfrom the Fig. 4 position to that shown by Fig. 3.

Preferably the brackets are secured to the door by making the fasteningfunction as a pivot and the fastening 11 in the form of a releasablethumb screw or the like. With this arrangement the thumb screw 11 may beloosened and the bracket swung away from the pin 13 as shown by Fig. 5,in the case of either or both of the brackets. Thus the door may beeasily removed for replacement of the lens 7 if necessary, or for morethorough cleaning of the fixture.

In operation, the lighting fixture using the new door assembly has theneat appearance shown by Fig. 1. There is no double frame eifect andneither hinges or locking devices are visible.

To open the door the palm of the hand is placed against the lens 7 so asto slightly lift the door, whereupon the door may be shifted toward thepivot pins 13 and thereafter permitted to swing downwardly to the Fig. 3position. The closing of the door is equally a natural operation, theclosing action almost automatically causing the door to shift edgewiseto the Fig. 4 position as soon as it moves to a position where the lensframe clears the inner corners of the right-hand channel section 4 ofthe housing. When almost closed the door is slightly lifted to clear theshoulders 15 from the pins 13 and permit the swinging edge portion ofthe door to be moved up past the lefthand ledge 5, after which a reversemotion causes the shoulders 15 to ride over the pins 13 so that bymerely dropping the door it rests squarely on the ledges 5. The wedgeshaped abutments 14 guide the door to its final position.

The lens frame, or the corresponding frame of any door, may be madewider than the ledges 5 if desired. For example, a very heavy glass lensmay require the strength of a rather wide frame. Even so, the doorassembly retains an attractive appearance and, of course, it retains allof its described mechanical and structural advantages. It is to beunderstood that any kind of lens may be accommodated by the disclosedfixture. In addition to glass, any opaque or translucent or transparentelements may be used, if arranged to pass the light. Louvers of allkinds, screens, etc. are considered to be either a lens or itsequivalent when used in connection with the door assembly of the fixturedisclosed hereinabove. In other kinds of door assemblies the door may beany kind of panel whether framed or not, and it may be of solidconstruction if desired.

I claim:

A door assembly including a door frame, a door for the door frame andwhich is biased to move away therefrom, means for connecting one edgeportion of the door to the door frame for both pivotal and edgewisemovements relative to the door frame, the doors opposite edge portionswinging upon pivotal movement of the firstnamed edge portion, and anabutment positioned to engage the doors swinging edge portion when thedoor is closed in the door frame, whereby to prevent outward swinging ofthe doors swinging edge portion, and positioned to permit clearing fromthe abutment by the doors swinging edge portion by shifting the dooredgewise therefrom, whereby to permit outward swinging of the doorsswinging edge portion, said means comprising brackets connected to thedoor and forming guideways spaced from the doors inner side andextending therealong transversely to the doors first-named edge portion,and pins connected to the door frame and positioned to transverselyengage the guideways, the brackets further forming shoulders for theguideways which shoulders are positioned to engage the pins when thedoors swinging edge portion is engaged by the abutment when the door isclosed, the guideways being spaced from the doors inner side far enoughto permit the doors first-named edge portion to be pushed against thedoors bias to release the shoulders from the pins, the assemblyincluding a housing for the doors first-named edge portion and whichdefines a space therebehind insufficient to provide clearance for thisportion when pivoting after the edgewise shifting of the door away fromthe abutment and the guideways extending in the direction of this spacefar enough from the shoulders to permit edgewise movement of the dooraway from this space to provide clearance for the first-named edgeportion after the doors swinging edge portion is free from the abutment,and means for limiting edgewise shifting of the door towards theabutment far enough to space the shoulders materially from the pins whenthe door is closed, at least one of the brackets being pivotallyconnected to the door for swinging in a direction releasing thisbrackets guideway from its pin, and releasable means for locking thisone of the brackets in operative position respecting its pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,051,341 Madsen Aug. 18, 1936 2,565,741 Runge Aug. 28, 1951 2,630,522MacDougall Mar. 3, 1953 2,636,978 Williamson Apr. 28, 1953 2,701,840Carlson Feb. 8, 1955

